Maoists Sabotage of Train Tracks Leave 71 Innocent Civilians Dead

Maoists guerrillas supposedly fighting for the rights of the poor in the eastern part of India dismantled part of train tracks in West Bengal (a communist ruled state) causing a train full of people travelling from Calcutta to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to derail, killing 71 people.

Those 71 people were all innocent civilians many of whom were likely the poor that the Maoists claim to be fighting on behalf of. This is the latest in a series of brutal attacks against civilians West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

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It's not too late – take an example from what Sri Lanka did – get rid of them ASAP before they turn in to another terrorist group like LTTE. Terrorists world over are Mentally Challenged and sick – Get rid of them immediately.

It’s not too late – take an example from what Sri Lanka did – get rid of them ASAP before they turn in to another terrorist group like LTTE. Terrorists world over are Mentally Challenged and sick – Get rid of them immediately.

Astounding that, without the benefit or grounding of any independent or impartial investigation, you rush to lay the blame upon "the maoists", when little is known yet as to the identity of the perpetrators.

This is a most singular & unusual incident — never has there been an indiscriminate maoist attack purely upon civilians on this scale, despite your wild & drumthumping, all – confounding, indiscriminate accusation. Their "civilian"attacks have mostly been against alleged informers or upper caste antilower caste rural sectors.

Even the gpvernment has said it's still investigating as to who the perpetrators are.

Rushed & thunderous judgments like yours will facilitate crushing state attacks on the indigenous population of the region.

Astounding that, without the benefit or grounding of any independent or impartial investigation, you rush to lay the blame upon “the maoists”, when little is known yet as to the identity of the perpetrators.

This is a most singular & unusual incident — never has there been an indiscriminate maoist attack purely upon civilians on this scale, despite your wild & drumthumping, all – confounding, indiscriminate accusation. Their “civilian”attacks have mostly been against alleged informers or upper caste antilower caste rural sectors.

Even the gpvernment has said it’s still investigating as to who the perpetrators are.

Rushed & thunderous judgments like yours will facilitate crushing state attacks on the indigenous population of the region.

In your folowup you have surely noted the police have blamed the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, a human rights group, for this act of sabotage & mass murder.

Bhupinder Singh, West Bengal's top police official, said the group's posters were found at the crime scene claiming responsibility for the attack.

A spokesman for the group, Asit Mahato, denied any role.

The charge against the rights group is unsubstantiated, so far i see, & seems highly implausible.

Local papers & tv meanwhile are blaming an alleged rogue group of the crime. i don't know what the evidence is, but the media there is not noted either for its investigative powers, its impartiality, or its independence of the status quo.

The truth behind this dark deed will out, eventually, i pray. But the entire incident is so senseless & repulsive, covered with such a pall of shame, there'll be no shining outcome to this, & no winners at all.

In your folowup you have surely noted the police have blamed the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, a human rights group, for this act of sabotage & mass murder.

Bhupinder Singh, West Bengal’s top police official, said the group’s posters were found at the crime scene claiming responsibility for the attack.

A spokesman for the group, Asit Mahato, denied any role.

The charge against the rights group is unsubstantiated, so far i see, & seems highly implausible.

Local papers & tv meanwhile are blaming an alleged rogue group of the crime. i don’t know what the evidence is, but the media there is not noted either for its investigative powers, its impartiality, or its independence of the status quo.

The truth behind this dark deed will out, eventually, i pray. But the entire incident is so senseless & repulsive, covered with such a pall of shame, there’ll be no shining outcome to this, & no winners at all.

"….the Maoists went on the defensive, even coming up with an apology. Bapi Mahato, a PCAPA leader, admitted to the sabotage but claimed it was a mistake. "We're sorry," he told the Indian Express. "We never wanted these innocent civilians to die Trust me, we targeted the goods train. But somehow, we were fed wrong information that the goods train would cross through this track and we removed Pandrol clips [springs used to fix the rail to the sleeper] from a long stretch. We didn't want to harm civilians. There must have been some miscalculation."http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LF02Df01….

I'm not sure how often the LTTE apologised for its little 'miscalculations', but thankfully the SL govt & people finally had enough of the LTTE's little 'miscalculations'.

It wasn't AI and other HR groups that finally stopped the LTTE committing any more 'miscalculations', but the single-minded determination of the SL armed forces to crush their ability to make any more 'miscalculations'.

So we in SL treat the condemnation and denunciations from AI and the rest about HR abuses in ending our long war, with the contempt they deserve.

"….the Maoists went on the defensive, even coming up with an apology. Bapi Mahato, a PCAPA leader, admitted to the sabotage but claimed it was a mistake. "We're sorry," he told the Indian Express. "We never wanted these innocent civilians to die Trust me, we targeted the goods train. But somehow, we were fed wrong information that the goods train would cross through this track and we removed Pandrol clips [springs used to fix the rail to the sleeper] from a long stretch. We didn't want to harm civilians. There must have been some miscalculation."http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LF02Df01….

I'm not sure how often the LTTE apologised for its little 'miscalculations', but thankfully the SL govt & people finally had enough of the LTTE's little 'miscalculations'.

It wasn't AI and other HR groups that finally stopped the LTTE committing any more 'miscalculations', but the single-minded determination of the SL armed forces to crush their ability to make any more 'miscalculations'.

So we in SL treat the condemnation and denunciations from AI and the rest about HR abuses in ending our long war, with the contempt they deserve.

"….the Maoists went on the defensive, even coming up with an apology. Bapi Mahato, a PCAPA leader, admitted to the sabotage but claimed it was a mistake. "We're sorry," he told the Indian Express. "We never wanted these innocent civilians to die Trust me, we targeted the goods train. But somehow, we were fed wrong information that the goods train would cross through this track and we removed Pandrol clips [springs used to fix the rail to the sleeper] from a long stretch. We didn't want to harm civilians. There must have been some miscalculation."http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LF02Df01….

I'm not sure how often the LTTE apologised for its little 'miscalculations', but thankfully the SL govt & people finally had enough of the LTTE's little 'miscalculations'.

It wasn't AI and other HR groups that finally stopped the LTTE committing any more 'miscalculations', but the single-minded determination of the SL armed forces to crush their ability to make any more 'miscalculations'.

So we in SL treat the condemnation and denunciations from AI and the rest about HR abuses in ending our long war, with the contempt they deserve.

“….the Maoists went on the defensive, even coming up with an apology. Bapi Mahato, a PCAPA leader, admitted to the sabotage but claimed it was a mistake. “We’re sorry,” he told the Indian Express. “We never wanted these innocent civilians to die Trust me, we targeted the goods train. But somehow, we were fed wrong information that the goods train would cross through this track and we removed Pandrol clips [springs used to fix the rail to the sleeper] from a long stretch. We didn’t want to harm civilians. There must have been some miscalculation.“

I’m not sure how often the LTTE apologised for its little ‘miscalculations’, but thankfully the SL govt & people finally had enough of the LTTE’s little ‘miscalculations’.

It wasn’t AI and other HR groups that finally stopped the LTTE committing any more ‘miscalculations’, but the single-minded determination of the SL armed forces to crush their ability to make any more ‘miscalculations’.

So we in SL treat the condemnation and denunciations from AI and the rest about HR abuses in ending our long war, with the contempt they deserve.